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In LONESOME POINT, Vasquez's second book, we have the unlikeliest of protagonists: Leo Varela, a self-described "laid-back dude who just wanted to smoke a little weed now and then and write some poetry." But Leo also works the night shift at a Miami psychiatric ward, and has something everyone seems to want: access to Herman Massini, an elderly patient who seems to be hiding out in the hospital. When a long-ago friend from Belize shows up one night, it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Ex-con Freddy Robinson wants Leo to help him kidnap Massini; Freddy is working for someone else, but won't say who. He threatens to start talking about long-ago events in Belize that involve Leo and his brother Patrick, an ambitious county commissioner who plans to run for mayor. As the book progresses, we get flashbacks to Leo and Patrick's teenage years, and the murder of a well-liked priest at Lonesome Point. Despite the threats, Leo balks at handing over Massini, having grown fond of him. And after a death attempt on the old man, Leo knows he has to act alone to save him. LONESOME POINT starts off strong, with a spare, noir style. Vasquez himself once worked in a psychiatric ward, so we get good descriptions of the hospital. And despite his loser life, we can't help but like Leo and his pregnant girlfriend, Tessa. But despite good characterization and dialogue, the plot doesn't hold up. Halfway through, the story loses its momentum. We already know who the bad guys are, so there aren't many surprises (except for one well-placed twist). The story doesn't come to a conclusion as much as it just ends abruptly – and ambiguously. I might have forgiven Vasquez much, but the ending makes for an ultimately unsatisfying read.
Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, April 2010
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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